17 November, 2022
Roasted Butternut Squash Ziti w/Chicken and Bacon
I was skeptical of making this and searched and searched recipe’s and took bits of pieces from other chef’s and put this together. It was fabulous! It’s luscious and creamy and you can trick a non squash fan and tell them it’s just cheese and they’ll love it. It needed a green side, so I sauteed up some spinach in a tablespoon of the leftover bacon grease and a pinch of red chili flakes and fresh lemon squeeze. Always squeeze the lemon juice before stirring it around in the grease or oil. Your body will absorb the nutrients better and it will taste better.
3 cups or so of cubed butternut squash (I cheated and bought Costco’s cubed and ready to go squash)
1 lb ziti
1 yellow onion cut in fourths
2 whole garlic cloves
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 cup half and half
1/2 tsp chipotle pepper powder or cayenne
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg (fresh is always my favorite but whatever floats your boat)
1/2 cup or so of chicken stock
12 oz grated Gruyere (I used a combo of Gruyere, Swiss and Cheddar Gruyere (save a bit for the cheesy top)
Butter (to butter your casserole dish)
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup of shredded chicken (optional, if you don’t want chicken leave it out)
1/2 lb of crisp bacon
Grated fresh parmesan for serving
Preheat oven to 350°
Place cubed squash, garlic cloves and onion on sheet pan and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix and coat the squash and spread out evenly and roast for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. While squash is roasting, cook Ziti al dente according to package, drain and set aside.
In a large bowl or food processor, add the roasted veggies, chicken stock, half and half, spices and half of the grated cheese and blend until nice and creamy. I used an immersion blender and it worked great. If it seems to thick, add a little more half and half or chicken stock to thin it out a bit and season with salt and pepper. Add cooked ziti and stir to get all that creamy goodness mixed in and then pour into your buttered casserole dish. Top with shredded chicken then add your remaining cheese on top of the chicken, cover loosely with aluminum foil (you don’t want the cheese to stick, that would be a shame) and throw it in the oven for 45 minutes.
Crumble bacon on top and serve with freshly grated parmesan and ENJOY!
